Under the Eagle: Eagles of the Empire, Book 1

The first novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling Roman series. It is 42 AD, and Quintus Licinius Cato has just arrived in Germany as a new recruit to the Second Legion, the toughest in the Roman army. If adjusting to the rigours of military life isn't difficult enough for the bookish young man, he also has to contend with the disgust of his colleagues when, because of his imperial connections, he is appointed a rank above them.

Wounds of Honour: Empire I

Thrilling, authentic, and action packed, this novel introduces soldier hero Marcus Valerius: a centurion stationed on Hadrian's Wall in the second century during a revolt against the Roman Empire. Marcus Valerius Aquila has scarcely landed in Britannia when he has to run for his life - condemned to dishonorable death by power-crazed emperor Commodus. The plan is to take a new name, serve in an obscure regiment on Hadrian's Wall, and lie low until he can hope for justice.

Young Bloods: Wellington and Napoleon, Book 1

Arthur Wesley (the future Duke of Wellington) was born and bred to be a leader. With a firm belief that the nation must be led by a king, the red-coated British officer heads for battle against the French Republic, to restore the fallen monarchy. Napoleon Bonaparte joins the French military on the eve of the Revolution. He believes leadership is won by merit, not by noble birth. When anarchy explodes in Paris, he's thrust into the revolutionary army poised to march against Britain.

Sword and Scimitar

Malta, 1565: a vital outpost between the divided nations of Europe and the relentlessly expanding Ottoman Empire. Faced with ferocious attack by a vast Turkish fleet, the knights of the Order of St John fear annihilation. Amongst those called to assist is disgraced veteran Sir Thomas Barrett. Loyalty and instinct compel him to put the Order above all other concerns, yet his allegiance is divided.

Marching with Caesar: Birth of the 10th Legion

Titus Pullus, the hero of the 10th Legion and the Marching With Caesar series, tells his story from the very beginning of his life, starting with his relationship with his father, how his friendship with Vibius Domitius began, and how their burning ambition to join the Legions was helped by a veteran nicknamed Cyclops. Enlisting in the 10th Legion, raised in 61 B.C. by Gaius Julius Caesar, Birth of the 10th Legion recounts the first campaign ever conducted by Julius Caesar as a commander...

Stiger's Tigers: Chronicles of an Imperial Legionary Officer, Book 1

The empire has endured many centuries but is now threatened by multiple wars and a major rebellion in the South. A nobleman from an infamous family, an imperial legionary officer, a fighter, and a right proper bastard of a man, Captain Ben Stiger finds himself reassigned from a crack legion to the rebellion simmering in the South. Placed in command of a truly terrible company, the 85th Imperial Foot, he is unknowingly sent on a suicide mission to resupply an isolated outpost, the garrison of Vrell.

Hunting the Eagles

Five long years have passed since the annihilation of three Roman legions in the wilds of Germania. Varus, the general who led the ill-fated army, is long dead, and the bones of his 15,000 legionaries moulder in the forests. But not all the Romans were slain in the ambush. Centurion Tullus, a seasoned veteran, survived, and now he lives for revenge upon the tribal chieftain Arminius, who masterminded the ambush. Tullus will stop at nothing to kill his bitterest enemy or to recover his legion's lost Eagle.

Arena

Pavo's journey begins when he encounters the Roman soldier Macro, who has been charged with his training. Bonds of friendship develop between the two men, both aware that their fates depend not only on Pavo's skills in the arena but also on the whims of powerful and ruthless senators. Can Pavo survive to fulfil his most cherished goal - revenge for the murder of his father at the hands of a champion gladiator?

Eagles in the Storm

The date is 15 AD. The German chieftain Arminius has been defeated, one of the lost Roman eagles recovered and thousands of German tribesmen slain. Yet these successes aren't nearly enough for senior centurion Lucius Tullus. Not until Arminius is dead, his old legion's eagle found and the enemy tribes completely vanquished will he rest. But Arminius - devious, fearless - is burning for revenge of his own.

Betrayal: The Centurions I

Rome, AD 68. Nero has committed suicide. One hundred years of imperial rule by the descendants of Julius Caesar has ended, and chaos rules. His successor, Galba, dismisses the incorruptible Germans of the Imperial Bodyguard for the crime of loyalty to the dead emperor. Ordering them back to their homeland, he releases a Batavi officer from a Roman prison to be their prefect. But Julius Civilis is not the loyal servant of empire that he seems.

God of Vengeance: The Rise of Sigurd 1

Norway, AD 785. It began with the betrayal of a lord by a king.... King Gorm puts Jarl Harald's family to the sword but makes one fatal mistake - he fails to kill Harald's youngest son, Sigurd. His kin slain, his village seized and its people taken as slaves, Sigurd wonders if the gods have forsaken him. Hunted by powerful men, he is unsure who to trust, and yet he has a small band of loyal followers at his side.

The Last Kingdom: The Last Kingdom Series, Book 1

The first book in a brand-new series, The Last Kingdom is set in England during the reign of King Alfred. Uhtred is an English boy, born into the aristocracy of ninth-century Northumbria. Orphaned at 10, he is captured and adopted by a Dane and taught the Viking ways. Yet Uhtred's fate is indissolubly bound up with Alfred, King of Wessex, who rules over the only English kingdom to survive the Danish assault. The struggle between the English and the Danes and the strife between christianity and paganism is the background to Uhtred's growing up.

Publisher's Summary

The Eagle in the Sand is the action-packed seventh novel in Simon Scarrow's best-selling Eagles of the Empire series. Essential reading for fans of Bernard Cornwell.

Judaea in AD 46. Roman centurions Cato and Macro have been posted to Judaea for a 'hearts and minds' operation. The Empire needs to win over the locals after some of their religious figures have started revolts - and since the Romans crucified the last charismatic Judaean leader, the natives' rebellions have become bolder.

Not only are these small villages causing trouble, but there are also thousands of Parthians eager to fight Rome. With the threat of suicide attacks and even all-out war, Cato and Macro have their peace-keeping work cut out....

So glad this was not abridged. The friendship between the two centurians welds this story together and provides a good adventure. Although the author does not delve into Roman camp life as much as I would like, the story is still cohesive and the characters believable. All together a good story and fine narrator. I'd like to see more non-abridged works by Simon Scarrow.

If you’ve listened to books by Simon Scarrow before, how does this one compare?

Better than any of the abridged books.

Have you listened to any of Russell Boulter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven’t listened to the first 6 books. This one stands on its own, so doing so isn’t essential; mostly they aren’t available from audible at the time of this review.

I’ve listened to 5hrs and I just don’t care. The plot is unsophisticated; predictable. It seems to be written for teen readers. The characters, reading and story don’t draw me in; and I’m a fan of this style of book: Falco series, Medicus Ruso, Ship of Rome, etc.

The characters seem unfleshed and they behave with inconsistency; both within their own development and the “Roman” setting. This could be due to the reading; voices that I can see in a TV series (Spoiler? I think Sean Bean would play Macro in the style of “Sharpe”), but detract from the drama for me. They frustrated me.

I’m Australian so the voices chosen probably are less satisfying because the accents haven’t resonance although that hasn’t been a problem with other books’ readings. The best voices are of the non-Romans.

Could have been set any time up to modern era … French Foreign Legion?

The volumes between the narration and the dialogue vary quite a bit, so listening with head phones might be a problem.

This book about Macro & Cato bring them to all so familiar a place that brings serious problems with foreign occupation. Scarrow also added a nice historical stew of catholic/Judaism history of the 'savior & his disciples.' Not to spoil anything but once u read this book u will think about the old testament in a different perspective, believable & placed in a continuous action/betrayal that eventually brought Rome down.

Its depressing in its own philosophical way how the region described in this book has not changed nor have wanted to change from the period this book is suppose to take place to current events. The area & the people are still obsessed with religion & any little slight produces a hive of angry bee's regardless of the circumstances... nothing has changed lol. Macro shows his ability to be the military leader his character usually takes on balanced with his conscience/intellectual muse which is Cato, the pair always complimentary like peanut butter & chocolate. Ok, no more cheese analogies... The book continues to make the series very good & leaving the reader wanting more. Well worth the credit, although there are multiple things unresolved which is always upsetting, especially about characters u come to despise

Would you consider the audio edition of The Eagle in the Sand to be better than the print version?

I missed 4/5/6 in the series as some were not available on audible and went straight for this on. It was very easy to pick up and hugely interesting set in a new province. Some well described skirmishes and an interesting insight into the period. A recommend!

What other book might you compare The Eagle in the Sand to, and why?

Ben Kane/Conn Iggulden

What about Russell Boulter’s performance did you like?

A change from the previous books gave Cato a much more grown voice sound reflecting his experience

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh and got the heart rate going!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Simon

Somewhere between a pair of headphones.

1/3/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Macro, Cato and The Holy Ghost"

I said I wouldn't wait another year before I came back to this series and this time I have only resisted for a couple of months. It's great fun, action packed and the dynamic duo of Macro and Cato have a good chemistry between them. The machinations of Narcissus give a reasonable(ish) excuse to keep the pair together despite their relatively senior rank.

This time they are thrown into the powder keg of post-messiah Judea and of course there is treachery from both without and within their own ranks. Macro continues to be part football hooligan and part charismatic leader with the more cerebral Macro providing an excellent foil to the older man's rather more unpredictable approach.

Scarrow touches new ground with his take on Christianity's early days which adds to the intrigue without ever becoming overly judgemental or allowing the action to falter. In terms of historical detail this does take the focus away from the legions themselves though.

All in all another very enjoyable episode.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

val wills.

8/22/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"good, very good as always"

I don't like the narrator, Jonathan keeble is far better, his voice characters are easy to recognise and follow, unlike Russell Boulter's attempt.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

ALLEN

7/27/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Another brilliant book by Scarrow and Boulter"

Another great book in the series by Simon Scarrow and Russle Boulmer. Can't wait to read next one

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Practical Lady

4/5/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Never disappointing"

Narrator is brilliant. It is the hardest job in the world to characterise a reading but Russell Boulter does a fantastic job. The story as ever is boys own adventure made all the more enjoyable because I have spent several days at Petra.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Roy

4/27/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"The Characters continue to grow "

.....both as characters and on you. an enjoyable read and here's to the next one

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Alastair Majury

UK

11/24/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great Performance and Story"

If you could sum up The Eagle in the Sand in three words, what would they be?

I am a big fan of Simon Scarrow's Macro & Cato series of books, I have read all of his books and listening to the books again as a way of refreshing my memory. I found the audio version of the book to be very good.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Silver Surfer

UK

4/9/13

Overall

"Worth a listen."

There are a number of authors writing in this genre but I always find Simon Scarrow's story telling superior to the rest. As a Roman military novel this one works well and its offers some interesting insights into the politics of the region combined with enough action to keep you happy. Where it is slightly less satisfactory is in its somewhat mystical storyline about early Christians which gets tedious at times. Overall though worth a listen.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

N

9/10/12

Overall

"Below Par"

An adequate storyline and pretty well narated but the re-writing of the Gospels was an unecessary and a rather silly distraction.

Ok but not as good as some of the other espisodes.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

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